Wolf Woes

Chapter 1: Strange Feeling (pt 3)

Hope was sitting at her desk working on homework, when a soft knock sounded at the door. She looked up in surprise. Nobody ever knocked on her door. "Come in," she yelled, though she didn't know why. Two thirds of the student body had supernatural hearing.

She was surprised when Josie opened the door and peeked in. She wasn't sure why she was surprised. She had, on some level, expected Josie to seek her out. Her strange behavior as a wolf was enough to warrant her own inquiry into wolf behavior. She should have known Josie would be curious as well.

Josie stepped into the room hesitantly, closing the door quietly behind her. "Hi," she said quietly, then cleared her throat. "I... I just came to say goodbye."

"You're leaving?" Hope asked surprised.

"Yeah. Dad's freaked out by what happened. He's sending Lizzie and I to Europe to spend some time with our mom."

"For how long?

"A week. Maybe longer. He said he wanted to know we were safe from the monsters, but I think it's hard having us here, after what happened. We remind him of her... Of what he lost."

Hope stood up and went to her side. "You lost her too," she said. She gently took Josie's hand, and then glanced at her night stand full of photos before looking back to Josie. "It's okay to grieve her you know."

Josie looked down as tears welled in her eyes. She knew what Hope was saying was true. "Thank you for staying with me last night."

Hope smiled softly, "Of course. You don't have to thank me."

"Yeah I do," she insisted, then looked Hope in the eyes. "I really do. You stayed when I need someone the most. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Josie," Hope said honestly.

Josie gave Hope a soft smile. "I should go," she said shyly. "We're leaving for the airport in an hour."

"Goodbye," Hope said, and then awkwardly hugged Josie, something she wasn't familiar with doing. "Message me. If you need anything... or if you just want to talk. Okay?"

"Yeah. I will. Thank you Hope."

Josie left, leaving Hope alone with her thoughts. She went back to her work, finishing up as quickly as possible, which wasn't nearly as quick as she would have liked. Her mind kept straying to Josie. Something was different between them. She felt it a soon as she laid her eyes upon her. She just couldn't figure out what it was.

She finished her homework just as the dinner hour started. Normally she would take a book to read while she ate her food in an empty corner, but she decided to forgo her usual routine by joining MG and They looked surprised when she sat down next to MG, but didn't comment, even though Penelope looked like she wanted to. Instead, she shifted her pile of books to give Hope more room, then went back to explaining something to MG. It took her a minute to realize they were talking about some old show they both had binged. She'd never heard of it, but it seemed interesting.

She didn't realize Penelope was such a tv nerd, but she shouldn't have been surprised. After all, she didn't really know the girl much, or MG for that matter. They switched topics to a different show, only this time she did know what they were talking about. They froze when she added a comment into the conversation but recovered quickly and smoothly added her into the debate. By the time dinner was over and they went their separate ways, they were talking like old friends.

Hope laid in bed that night trying to sleep, without luck. Her body was humming with restlessness. She still had over a week to go before the full moon, and usually she had a few more days before the restless need to change set in. For the second night in a row, the need to change felt to great, leading her out to the old mill where she striped her clothing off and morphed into her wolf. This time with permission though.